Vitter in dispute with Justice over voter registration

10:37 PM,
Mar. 30, 2013

U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R.-La., shown during a visit to Alexandria in October, is threatening to block the nomination of Thomas Perez as the Secretary of Labor in a dispute with the Justice Department over enforcement of the Voter Registration Act in Louisiana.

Written by

Deborah Barfield Berry
Gannett Washington Bureau

The federal law that requires welfare offices and motor vehicle departments to provide voter registration information is at the heart of closely watched lawsuits in Louisiana and a brewing nomination fight on Capitol Hill.

Republican Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana says he's blocking the nomination of Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez to run the Labor Department because Justice officials haven't fairly enforced the law - called the National Voter Registration Act.

And Vitter cites a Justice Department case against Louisiana as one example. ...